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Palestinians to state their position on Obama's planned visit to Aqsa

24-02-2013,10:43

Al Qassam website- Occupied Jerusalem- Noted Palestinian figures declared their intention to hold a news conference on Sunday before afternoon in the Palestinian national theater in occupied Jerusalem to state their position towards the upcoming visit of US president Barack Obama to the Aqsa Mosque.

A number of religious and national figures, including head of the higher Islamic council Ikrima Sabri and head of the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, will participate in this news conference.

"It is known that we have our constants as Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians regarding the issue of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque, and we confirm that Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque are under occupation, which has no sovereignty or legitimacy over them and will inevitably end," the Aqsa foundation quoted Sheikh Ra'ed Salah as saying.

"The US president is likely to visit the Aqsa Mosque, but we should affirm that our position towards such situation will be in conformity with the constants of the Muslim and Arab nations, and the Palestinian people as well as with the issue of Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque," he added.

For his part, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri said that the Palestinians would welcome any visitor to the Aqsa Mosque, provided that he should abide by the regulations set by the Islamic Waqf authority.

Sheikh Sabri explained that if Obama wanted to visit the Aqsa Mosque, he should enter through Al-Asbat gate and not Al-Maghariba gate under Israel's control in order to show his respect for the Islamic sovereignty over the Mosque.

He added that Obama should not be accompanied by an Israeli official during his visit to the holy Mosque because it belongs to Muslims and it is their holy site alone.